Caritas Internationalis celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2011. As we look back over this period, it is easy to see that we have been on a long journey of growth and development. The confederation that meets in Rome for its 19th General Assembly in May 2011 is very different from the small alliance of 13 member organisations that came together for the first time in 1951.

The past four years have been just one stage on that long journey, although a very important one. The road we have travelled since 2007 has been a hard, steep climb.We set off ill-equipped for the challenges ahead. We had been set ambitious targets to deliver – with a budget two million euros short of what was required, a General Secretariat in urgent need of restructuring, and financial and administrative systems that were inefficient and outdated.

Along the way we encountered a global financial crisis that stretched our resources as our Member Organisations found their sources of funding severely constrained.

During our journey we have been guided and inspired by two encyclicals of Pope Benedict XVI that are particularly relevant to our work: Deus Caritas Est and Caritas in Veritate. These two documents have been instrumental in our endeavour to root Caritas ever more deeply in the mission of the Church. The title of our Operational Plan 2007–11 “From the Heart”was inspired by Pope Benedict’s words in Deus Caritas Est, in which he says that the “heart sees where love is needed and acts accordingly”.

The publication of Caritas in Veritate also provided much to reflect upon. Pope Benedict spoke on many subjects close to our hearts in the Caritas confederation, including commitment to inter-generational justice, particularly in our stewardship of the environment; the need for business and commerce to serve the common good; and a core principle for Caritas Internationalis (CI): that the people who benefit from our work must be directly involved in its planning and implementation.

This report looks back over our four-year journey and some of the milestones we have passed on the way. Our roadmaps throughout this period have been the Strategic Framework 2007–11 approved by the 2007 General Assembly and the Operational Plan 2007–11 approved by the CI Executive Committee in November 2007.

These two documents focussed on four strategic priorities. 

  • Responding to Emergencies
  • Integral Human Development
  • Building Sustainable Peace
  • Adapting Structures, Processes and Finances of the Confederation
Responding to emergencies

The Strategic Framework 2007–11 set the following objective for Priority One: “Caritas Internationalis is recognised for its rapid response, technical expertise and effective coordination in emergency programming and disaster preparedness”.

CI now has an Emergencies Team that is able to respond swiftly to humanitarian disasters, implementing new systems and procedures to design and launch emergency appeals and ensure that they are properly documented and reported on.We are fully engaged in continuing efforts to improve coordination and standards in emergency situations and in implementing and advocating for improved disaster preparedness strategies.

Integral Human Development

The Priority Objective for Integral Human Development was to“to empower the poor to become protagonists of their own development”.

The General Secretariat established advocacy and communication programmes that sought to involve the Caritas Regions and Member Organisations in campaigns on climate change, health and HIV/AIDS, the feminisation of migration, poverty eradication and food security.

Representatives of Member Organisations addressed the United Nations, attended the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) summit meetings, and participated in an international conference on the “Female Face of Migration”.

Building Sustainable Peace

Here the Priority Objective aimed at “transforming unjust structures and conflict non-violently, promoting peacebuilding through inter-faith dialogue and building a community of one humanity”.

CI was actively involved in advocacy and consultation, particularly at the UN headquarters in NewYork, on most of the major conflicts of the past four years.We made our peacebuilding toolkit available online, attracting more than 40,000 visitors a year to the site.

This report is divided into four main chapters that reflect the key activities of the General Secretariat that have delivered these strategic priorities, namely emergency response, advocacy, communications, and finance, administration and capacity building.

Thanks are due to all those who contributed towards these achievements, first and foremost the talented and collaborative colleagues of the many Member Organisations of the CI confederation. I would like to thank our President, Cardinal Oscar Rodríguez Maradiaga SDB and the CI Bureau and Executive Committee for their support; members of our commissions, the Regional Coordinators and staff of the Regional Secretariats; the working, reference and advisory groups; and above all the General Secretariat teams in Rome, Geneva and NewYork.

CI now has a General Secretariat team of committed professionals that we can be justifiably proud of and it has been an enormous privilege and pleasure to have worked with them.

To quote the words of Pope Paul VI, we have travelled this road together, “united in minds and hearts” (PopulorumProgressio, 80).

It has been a hard climb, but from where we now stand we look out over a landscape of opportunity.We have arrived at this point stronger, with a clear view of the road ahead. I pray that our confederation will hold on to that vision, to what we have achieved, and to the values that have sustained us on our journey.

Lesley-Anne Knight
Secretary General
Caritas Internationalis
May 2011